


Telos to Taris

by Allronix



Series: Star Wars: Destiny of the Old Republic [5]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends: Knights of the Old Republic (Video Games)
Genre: Bedside Vigils, Dreams and Nightmares, Flashbacks, Gen, Missing Scene, Pre-Relationship, Quarantine, Suicidal Thoughts, Survivor Guilt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-27
Updated: 2020-09-27
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:07:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26673400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Allronix/pseuds/Allronix
Summary: A narrow escape from the Endar Spire leaves Carth with an unconscious civilian, a planetary quarantine, and far too many dark thoughts and bad memories. Written for the Star Wars Fanfic Discord Bounty Challenge, September 2020.
Relationships: Carth Onasi/Female Revan, Carth Onasi/Morgana Onasi
Series: Star Wars: Destiny of the Old Republic [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1362046
Comments: 8
Kudos: 23
Collections: High Council Bounty 9/20





	Telos to Taris

**Author's Note:**

  * For [UrbanQuill](https://archiveofourown.org/users/UrbanQuill/gifts), [AthenaStarsnow](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AthenaStarsnow/gifts), [SiladhielLithvirax](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SiladhielLithvirax/gifts).



Escape pods were meant for fleeing a disaster and a survivable landing, not a smooth one. Carth was breathing heavily, using every curse Basic invented as he tried to swing the primitive controls to dodge the hail of blaster fire from the Sith above and the reentry into atmosphere below.

His “co-pilot” didn’t react to any of it. She shoved him out of the way of an exploding conduit, taking a hit of well over 30,000 amps that would have killed him. She was unconscious, limply buckled into the seat. Her dark hair was matted against her head with sweat. He wasn’t even sure if she was breathing. “Hold on, okay?” He was talking more to himself than her. “We’re going to impact in the count of twenty.”

The skies of Taris were thick with storms, thunder booming over the sound of orbital fire. Yanking the controls and taking a deep breath, Carth wasn’t sure where the odd calm that washed over him came from, but he wasn’t questioning it.

Five…

Four…

Three…

He grabbed her hand. The impact was hard enough to jolt him painfully against the harness, enough to bruise – badly—but nothing broken. He slammed the hatch’s control and unbuckled the restraints for both of them, scooping her up into his arms. She was so…. tiny. He felt hard muscle under her shirt. She was in good physical condition. Good, that helped her dim survival odds, at least.

Around them, people were panicking, screaming, crying, seeking any kind of shelter. Some bodies already lay still in the streets, cut down from above by falling debris or the blasters. The sounds of the storm, the air thick with ozone and the smell of smoke, scorched permacrete, roasting flesh. It was all too…

The last time he was in something like this, the last time he was carrying a woman, it was back on Telos. He was getting Gana’s blood all over his jacket and feeling her last labored breaths as he ran for the closest medical station...

_Don’t think._ That odd calm took over again as he ran blindly. He could hear Sith landing craft, see glimpses of the silver armor. _Run._

He didn’t know how far he ran, or he got to the building. It was covered in graffiti, surrounded by trash and waste. The smell of decay and garbage almost pierced through the smog and smoke. The main door was ajar, and he was able to duck inside. Rows of doors and dim lighting lined a graffiti-stained hallway. When he could run no further, he saw a door at the end of the hall. The lock was easily overridden as he stumbled inside.

Vermin scattered when he jammed the light switch with his elbow. The place was a dump of a two room apartment – obviously abandoned. No sign anyone lived here. The leftover furniture – a listing table, chairs, and a thin bed with an ugly, stained mattress and a threadbare blanket, had obviously gone disused for some time, but it beat a Sith holding cell by parsecs.

She shuddered in his arms, shallow breaths rattling ominously. Plasma shocks were almost always fatal. Even if someone survived the initial shock, they almost never regained consciousness. She wasn’t going to make it. He could hear her jagged breaths, reminding him painfully of Gana’s death rattle. _No... Stay alive._

Carth staggered over to the bed and ungracefully rolled her onto it. He tried to move, but his limbs felt like lead. Before he could register anything else, he collapsed next to her, exhaustion claiming him in seconds. The last conscious thought was hearing her shallow, labored breathing.

* * *

_The smell of smoke and ozone, the acid taste in his mouth from breathing the fumes. The noisy chaos of blaster fire and crack of collapsing permacrete punctuated by screams and shouts; some from the solders trying to run survivors to the evac shuttles, some from people shouting for loved ones or the inured and dying crying out for help._

_It was the same moment he played over and over. He knew every word, every movement._

“ _Commander Onasi, shuttles Cresh, Isk, and Krill have reached the drop site. Shuttles Thesh and Qek reached capacity. Sith blew Wesk out of the sky – all hands lost.” Lieutenant Denmys, a Miralan woman with two teardrop-shaped tattoos on her cheeks, was manning what was left of a communications array._

_Carth wanted to order her away, knowing this spot would be hit by mortar fire in five minutes, killing her instantly. Unfortunately, he was stuck in the same loop, the same words. “Keep those lines open, Lieutenant. We need those shuttles to evacuate as many people as possible from the sector.”_

_Over and over again, the same motions. The same checking his blasters even though he knew he was down to a quarter clip on the left and a half on the right. The same run down the same street. This used to be where he would walk from his quarters to the transport that carried soldiers to base. He would turn left, then two rights, and run to the rubble that used to be his home…_

_He caught something out the corner of his eye, something that shouldn’t be there. A human woman he didn’t recognize right away. She wasn’t in the red and yellow of Republic uniform or the azure coveralls of Service Corps, wearing thick, off-white robes trimmed in red. Jedi, maybe? He couldn’t see her clearly through the haze, but she seemed to be motioning to him._

_Follow the same pattern of the dream, or follow the element out of place…? He hesitated for a moment._

_With a sudden lurch the ground gave way under his feet and sent him falling into empty darkness._

* * *

When he woke up, he remembered he had been dreaming, but couldn’t recall the details. A moment of panic as he looked around the unfamiliar room, the unfamiliar bed, and…His stomach lurched, realizing someone was in bed with him. He hadn’t….no. Pants and jacket were still on. Thank the Force for its occasional and petty mercies.

The bed that was barely big enough for one adult, much less two. Good thing his “bunkmate” was still unconscious and pretty small. His mind was screaming at him to get his shebs out of that bed right karking now. The rest of him didn’t want to move. He was sore all over and his muscles felt like they were made of lead. A more...base part of him was enjoying the feeling of having a warm body curled up in his arms. It had been a very long time since Gana, and while he had offers…

He reached up and brushed her hair away from her face – checking her breathing. Okay. Good. She was still breathing, still alive.

Carth forced himself to get up. If she came to, there would be hell to pay. He was a lot of things, but pervert wasn’t on that list. “Look, I’m sorry. I really hope you don’t remember any of this. Blame the chaos of...whatever…”

Realizing she was still unconscious and unlikely to regain consciousness left him feeling shaky. “Look, I have to go out and investigate. Please...just...be here when I get back?”

* * *

Carth found a scarf in the corner to cover his face. It stank of things best left unexplained, but he didn’t want to take the risk of the Sith patrols having his face on file. Soldiers in their silver armor marched in formation down the streets. No sign of prisoners or the like.

He found a shady Twi’lek who operated a “shop” of overpriced (and probably stolen) goods out of a cargo speeder. Carth had enough on his person for a crate of ration bars and some clean drinking water, but there wasn’t enough for medpacks. He got that home and locked it up best he could before venturing out again.

A billboard drone flew its route across the city streets. They were used in mega-cities like this one to convey important news and announcements. A bland looking human man was clearly reading from a prompter as his face filled the screen.

“ _Attention, citizens of Taris. The Sith government has assured us a peaceful transition. Please comply with all orders given by Sith authorities. It is also advised that you stay home during this time. No ships will be allowed to take off or enter Tarisian atmosphere unless authorized by Sith authorities. A quarantine has been enacted due to the potential of rakghoul disease outbreak caused by the Republic’s bombardment. Again, it is advised that you stay inside your homes during this time to cut down on the potential of exposure and infection. Businesses will be allowed to resume in three standard days while parks, recreational facilities, and religious gatherings will remain shut down…”_

Great. Planetary government was completely rolling over for the Sith and blaming the Republic for the attack. Guess it would be too much to ask for the world to be contested.

_You already know what would happen if they contested it._ He scowled and tried to dismiss the thought, but could smell phantom blood and ozone in the air.

There was no sign of other escape pods, no sign of Republic troops or uniforms. Surely, he couldn’t have been the only survivor? Well, he and the civilian from Bastila’s entourage that was back at the apartment. Someone had to have survived, right? There were over a hundred escape pods on the _Spire_. His couldn’t have been the only one...

Far away in the distance he saw what looked to be the bright red of a Republic field uniform. Breaking into a run, he raced toward it…

And stopped, ducking behind a dumpster. The red was surrounded by a sea of polished silver uniforms, kneeling. Unable to find any witnesses, the one in the grays of a patrol captain pulled out a service blaster. Carth heard a single shot before the silver uniformed patrol dragged a limp humanoid form over to a far ledge and flung it over the side.

Another one he couldn’t save.

It was dark by the time he got back to the apartment. The woman he rescued hadn’t moved from the bed and for a long moment, he dreaded that she was dead. No. She was taking slow, steady breaths now with a stable pulse. He sagged with relief and sat against the wall, glumly unwrapping and eating one of of the ration bars.

“How’s your day been? Hope it was better than mine. I got us some food for when you wake up, though.”

She stirred a little and let out a small whine. At least that was some sign of life.

“Sith all over the place. Marched in like they owned it and the planetary government just…” he threw up his hand in frustration. “Of course, if they did resist, the Sith would just burn the whole planet. That’s what happened with my world.”

Her hand twitched. Without thinking about it, he put his hand on hers.

Did he imagine it, or did her hand turn and lightly grab his? “At least you don’t seem to be having any limb paralysis…” He didn’t want to let go, but knew he probably should. Getting up, he pulled the only information he had on his “charge,” a datapad that had been in her belt pouch. “Okay, sorry that you can’t talk right now, but let me see if there’s anything on this datapad.”

The datapad itself had very little, some “all crew” memos, a few notes that had no meaning out of context, and a service record.

_Kairiana “Kairi” Niko_

_Civilian Advisor Class Three_

_Assignment: Assignment: Language translation and diplomatic aide to Jedi Bastila Shan._

“Kairi. Nice enough name, I suppose. So you’re definitely one of the Jedi entourage. I wonder why they’d hire civilian contractors for that kind of thing and not just go in for a protocol droid, but that’s Jedi for you…

She clawed at the bed her head rolling back and forth as her legs tried to curl up. It confirmed that she didn’t exhibit any paralysis, but with the way she was thrashing about, he was afraid she might injure herself.

Without thinking, he took her hand. “It’s all right. We’re safe right now. You aren’t alone…”

After a few terrible moments, she sagged and went limp. Carth got up, taking some of the discarded rags and rolling them up to put behind her shoulders. “There, that ought to help you breathe. Just...stay with me, okay?”

He got a soft whimper in reply.

“Nightmares? Yeah, me too.”

It was absurd, speaking to someone who couldn’t hear him. Especially given the odds being so high that person was never going to wake up.

The damn billboard made its rounds again. Outside, it was raining, the sounds of water cascading down the thin, grimy window. “ _Attention, citizens of Taris. The Sith government_ _has assured us a peaceful transition. Please comply with all orders given by Sith authorities...”_

He scooted against the wall, back pressed against it, and put his head down.

* * *

_Back on Telos, back in the Residential Sector._ _Back on the same known path. Left, then right,_ _then one more right._ _He knew how this ended. The rain was soaking his uniform. Red-tinted water seeped into his boots. If he were only a little faster, didn’t stumble. Maybe this time would be different. His house – what was left of it – would be just past this corner and down the hill…_

_True to the logic of dreams, he was_ _now_ _in the burning ruins of his home, digging in the rubble. Gana was here. He knew she was going to be here._ _He pulled aside the last_ _stone._

_He should have seen her face._

_The body under the rubble was featureless. Female shaped, covered with blood, limbs bent in ways they were not supposed to bend. But Carth realized for the first time that her face was a blur._

“ _It’s too late.”_

_His h_ _ead_ _snapped up, ready to argue with whoever was stupid enough to try and get in his way, but he realized that the voice was right._

_He had flown a recovery craft through what was left of the sector months later, after his injuries had healed. The atmosphere had turned into a toxic soup. Heavy shields were necessary to keep the shuttle’ s metal panels from being corroded. The dark, thick smog was like seeing through mud. It was only the logic of dreams that kept his lungs from burning and hemorrhage as he walked the surface. This was Telos six months after the attack – well after he lost Gana._

_And on top of the hill was the strange woman in the ivory robes. He could see that she had light, Echani-style armor under the outer robe; white leathers with red trim. The thick hood was pulled over her head, strangely unruffled by the driving wind and rain._

_It was Kairi, the woman he pulled from the_ Spire _. But...that didn’t make sense. What was she doing here? Why was she in robes and armor?_

“ _Why did you bring me here?” she asked._

_Carth scowled, confused. “I brought you here? Who are you?”_

_She straightened regally, making herself look far more imposing than her small frame should account for, and tried to reply. Within seconds…_

_From calm, regal assurance to confusion…_

_From confusion to fear…._

_From fear to panic..._

_Her feet seemed to buckle under her, and he reached out reflectively to catch her._

“ _This is something I caused, isn’t it?” She looked around. “Yes. So many deaths. It wasn’t supposed to be this way. This world wasn’t...And you...you brought me here to see this, to see…” She sagged. “ **Who are you?** ”_

* * *

Carth jerked awake, the memory of the dream fading. Kriff. Must have dozed off. He looked over to the bed. Kairi’s eyes were open, at least.

“Hey! Can you hear me?”

She blinked. Her eyes were large and glassy like she was sleepwalking, but still...he was going to take any sign of life he could at this point. Grabbing a flask of water, he propped her up and helped her drink.

“Easy there. Just a little bit. You’re probably dehydrated. Let’s go slow so you don’t choke on any of that, okay?”

Gently, he helped her drink down a half-liter of water, rubbing her back when she would accidentally aspirate the water and have to cough it back up. There was little other sign of consciousness.

“I hope you’ll be okay. I went out there. No sign of anyone else. The attack on the _Spire_ happened so fast. I saw the Sith shooting pods out of the sky. Maybe some crashed in the levels below, but…” He shook his head. “I tried to save them, Kairi. I held that line, watching the life support readings, shoving anyone I could to those pods. I keep feeling like I wasn’t supposed to make it. Maybe I could have saved one more person. Hell, maybe it’s stupid to think I can save anyone.”

When her eyes closed, he turned her on her side in recovery position and leaned against the wall. Who was he kidding? He was supposed to be dead at Telos. Maybe dead again on the _Spire_. And once again he survived when other good people died.

_Maybe if I can save someone, anyone…maybe saving one civilian will be reason enough to keep going._

“I’m going to go out and see if I can scrounge up enough credits to get a couple medpacks. I don’t care if I have to panhandle or shoot someone at this point, but…” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Just...stay alive until I get back.”

* * *

Going out on the second try was a little more of a success. A couple of the nobles were gossiping (and not very discreetly) in a public park. They were sloppy in evading the patrols, but they did manage it, walking up to a building not far away from the apartment, knocking on the door, and giving a password to the bouncer.

Long story short, there was a thriving underground fight scene run out of shady and not quite legal private clubs. Stun blasters and shock blades were used to keep the fights non-lethal. The Sith discouraged it but seemed willing to look the other way, judging from the handful of uniforms he saw drinking at the bar. The stable of “duelists” were mostly amateur fighters and anyone who was willing to step in the ring got a cut of the betting pool if they won.

Three bouts as "The Stranger" later, and with a tip from their lowest ranked fighter, a washed up private-eye named Duncan, Carth was taking home a few medpacks that he could buy and a few more he...acquired. Duncan helped. ( _“I get my butt kicked nightly. You think I don’t know where the medkits are? Here, go help your friend…”_ )

He staggered in the door, kits under one arm. Carth yanked off the scarf covering his face and wiped off a panel that was somewhat reflective. Kriff. He looked like hell. Stun weapons or not, the last duelist was a woman called “Ice” that kicked like an angry kod’yok. One shot got him square in the ribs. He stripped off his jacket to inspect the damage. Satisfied that it was just a severe bruise and not a broken rib, he dug out one of the kolto patches and applied it, breathing in relief as the blissful numbing took effect.

Damn, it felt good to take out his anger, though. At least he felt like he could _do_ something.

The billboard drone passed by on its patrol, the bland-looking human man still reading pre-packaged copy. But his transmissions were more unsettled and nervous. Carth was willing to bet that the Sith had a metaphorical (or not so metaphorical) gun to his head.

“ _Five more Republic aggressors were found dead by Sith patrols today, bringing the total to a hundred and twelve. Authorities are confident that the quarantine can be lifted by month’s end, but staying indoors and at home is still highly advised. Non essential businesses will be opened in phases as dictated by Sith officials and the planetary government is working to assure an orderly transition of power. There is still a hundred thousand credit reward offered for the recovery of Bastila Shan, a Republic officer and rumored Jedi who is said to be hiding on Taris. She is armed and dangerous. Should you see her, do not attempt to apprehend her yourself. Please report to the Sith authorities by calling one three seven on your comlinks...”_

So they didn’t find Bastila? So much for small favors. Maybe her being a Jedi would help her somehow, but it didn’t leave his odds any better.

Kairi was whimpering softly, hands clawing at the bed. Motor skills, able to drink, but still no sign of anything past limnal consciousness. Maybe she would survive but only in a vegetative state. Meanwhile, he was trapped here.

Outside, he heard banging on doors and voices. Sith Patrol. They were inspecting the building. They were coming closer. 

Knock

Knock

Knock

He and Kairi were in the back room, huddling in the dark, but it was only a matter of time, only a matter of waiting. They were trapped.

Carth’s hand curled around the blaster. He wouldn’t be able to hold off a whole patrol. Even if he could, more would come. The apartment was several stories up, no windows that could be shot open. No escape routes.

Knock

Knock

Knock.

If he was captured, it would be a lot worse than getting killed. He was still a Republic officer, and the Sith would want to “interrogate” officers. Even worse is if they had Dark Jedi in the mix. His mind raced with all the things he had heard about in security briefings; force cages, shock collars, drugs like lytisil that enhanced every twinge of pain a hundredfold…

And whispered stories about what Dark Jedi were capable of; lightning from the fingers, cutting off airways or causing embolisms with a flick of the finger, twisting someone's own fears back on them until their captives were gibbering wrecks, reaching into a victim’s skull and tearing the information away…

Knock

Knock

Knock

He was trapped. There was no escape, no hope.

Carth got to his feet, pulling both blasters. One, he pointed at his temple, the other he pointed at Kairi. The Sith wouldn’t take them alive…

Clarity fortunately asserted itself. He was pointing a blaster at an unconscious, unarmed civilian? What in the hells?

The door at the front opened and he held his breath, crouching low in case he needed to fight.

He heard the door close. “There’s nothing here, Sir. No one’s been in that unit for months. Come on then. Wasting our time with this place. That Jedi’s probably found a better spot to hide than this latrine.”

The sound of boots marched away, but it felt like hours before Carth could breathe.

Rummaging around the medpacks, he loaded up a hypo-sprayer with kolto and injected it into Kairi’s neck.

“I hope that’s going to help. Please, I need you to wake up. I can’t…”

He stopped himself, not sure what words would finish the thought. He settled for sitting next to the bed, facing the door, blasters in reach.

* * *

_Back to Telos, back to the ruins and the thick, choking smoke of poisoned atmosphere. His boots stuck in the thick, polluted mud, trying to walk on scraps of duracrete and stone to keep from sinking knee-deep._

_This was what was left of his house, he knew. All that was left was two half-caved in walls and a pile of rubble that was the ceiling. He fished a framed holoprint out of the mud, but it was too muddy and stained to make out anything. Charred metal and rotting fabric had once been chairs, couches, beds._

_Kairi was there in the ivory and red robes, seeming to float above the mire. “You brought me here to remember this tragedy for both of us.”_

_Okay, that made no sense, but dreams rarely did anyway. “_ _Listen, sister. I do not remember bringing anyone ‘here.’ This is my pain, and you have no business being here!”_

_She looked at him, cocking her head, silently asking for an explanation._

“ _You’re standing in what used to be my kitchen. So how about you get out of my house?”_

_She folded her arms and looked up at him. “You brought me here.”_

_Again, dream logic. It made no sense whatsoever. He wasn’t going to get anywhere arguing with her, even if she was just a figment of his imagination. He settled for an explanation._

“ _I keep going over and over the same day in my head. Maybe if I told my superiors that Saul was going to turn traitor. Maybe if I said or did something just a little different or was just a few seconds faster…” He threw aside a chunk of debris. “That’s why I’m here. I think that if something could have been just a little different, I could have saved her. Or saved anyone for that matter.”_

“ _And you know you can’t,” she said. “It always ends the same.”_

“ _That’s right. It’s not…” He huffed and ran his hand through his hair. “Deployment after deployment. I spent more time on the lines than I did home. I went out there so this would never come to them. It should have been me in that rubble. Should have been me blown out of the sky. Gana and I would talk about what would happen if…” Carth rubbed his forehead. “I told her that it would be okay. That if she would light a candle and say a few nice things on Remembrance Day, then I would have wanted her to be happy. Maybe find a nice guy who could help her raise Dustil and move on with her life. It was never supposed to be…”_

_He looked out over the barren wastes and bombed out ruins of what used to be his home. The sky was dark and the air smelled of smoke and blood._

“ _I can’t remember Gana’s face anymore; just the blood soaking through my shirt and that last death rattle. I can’t remember my son’s favorite game, or what class he hated in school. I just remember all those nights looking through the survivor list and finding nothing. I remember the mud, the blood, the smell of death and tibanna gas. I don’t remember home. I just remember this.” He thumped a wall in frustration. “Never mind, you wouldn’t understand.”_

“ _I’m very good at giving people what they want,” she said bitterly. “Everyone has something they wish of me; a role they wish me to play, a task they want to be done, an ideal they want to see. So what is it you want?”_

_He was about to say something very rude and sarcastic in response, but he was too tired. “I wish I could save someone. Even if it’s just one person, one life. I lost everyone on the_ Spire _. I lost everyone on Telos. I…” His voice cracked. “I can’t even save you, can I? I’ll open my eyes and we’ll be back on Taris, and I’ll watch you die. That’ll be it. Might as well eat my blaster after that.”_

_He could feel her hand between his shoulders but he was too tired to fight her off. “You would save my life? You don’t even know who I am do you? **I** don’t even know who I am anymore.” _

_Carth laughed mirthlessly. “You could be Malak’s sister for all I give a damn. But yes. Just one life. That’s going to be enough.”_

_She seemed to be weighing the idea. “If...if I become that life, there is going to be...consequences. For both of us. You won’t be able to exist here. You will have to leave Telos, move on, and take me with you.”_

“ _Move on” - simple words but they carried so many terrible implications. Could he really do that? It would be giving up all the “what if” scenarios in his head. It would be giving up on the idea that things could have changed. It would be giving up on Gana. It would be acknowledging she was gone and that nothing could ever bring her or the life he had back and giving up on the idea that he was just as dead as she was._

_And it also meant that he would be tied to this stranger in white robes, not knowing who she was or what kind of “consequences” would come out of that. He hated unknowns and risks. He hated having to be forced to rely on faith since the Force was never kind._

_Still, there was nothing here but poisoned sky, mud, and regret._

_He had his answer. “Get me out of here.”_

_She took his hands in hers, and the world around them faded to white..._

* * *

Like the other times, he couldn’t remember the dream when he woke up. All he could remember was remnants of yet another Telos flashback, but something was different this time…

“ _Attention, Tarisian citizens. The transition of power continues to go smoothly. While the patrols will still be in effect, phase one of reopening nonessential businesses will resume by tomorrow morning. The Curfew of 2200 hours is still in effect. The Sith thank all of us for an orderly and safe transition of power and assure the citizens that no retaliatory actions will be enacted...”_

Carth groaned and checked on Kairi. The kolto brought a little color back to her face. That was good. He gave her another dose and grabbed a ration bar. Maybe today he would be able to go out and try to hunt for Bastila. After all, the broadcast wasn’t announcing her capture and if the Sith were looking for her, there was a chance she could be found.

He sat at the listing table, and began to work on cleaning his blasters. Wherever Bastila was, it would probably entail a fight to get there. He was in the middle of putting the chamber back into one of his blasters when he heard a gasp behind him.

"Where...where am I? Who are you...?"

Awake! Between the plasma shock and the pod crashing, it was nothing short of a miracle. “Easy there. We’re okay for the moment. I’m Carth, one of the soldiers from the _Endar Spire._ I was with you on the escape pod. Do you remember?”

**Author's Note:**

> The general idea for this was in my notes and fragments for a while, but the fic challenge was quarantine so I ran with it. Yes, the ivory robes are based kinda on the Forge robes (They're really based on a mod that I saw once and thought looked far too cool), but I had this idea that those were the original robes Revan wore, swapping to black when things got serious with the Mandalorians.


End file.
